Full Review

Carré Review

Carré is a LA based French trio with live instrumentation, featuring two drummers, that blend aggressive, dark and chaotic elements with hypnotic drum loops inspired by psychedelic French electronica. The trio is Julien Boyé – (drums, percussion, vocals), Jules de Gasperis – (drums, vocals, synths, production and mixing), and Keveen Baudouin – (guitars, vocals, synth and production). Since releasing their debut single, “This is Not a Band” in late March, Carré have been drawing comparisons to the edgy dark electronic rock sounds of Cold Cave and Nitzer Ebb and dance floor favorites Factory Floor, Chemical Brothers and Soulwax. On April 27, they released their second single “Urgency” from their forthcoming self-tiled EP. Carré strives to create a psychedelic and unparalleled experience for listeners. Created in 2019, each member brings a unique sound and style to the table. “The making of our band started with this whole idea of having two drummers perform together. It felt like a statement.” says Jules. “We always wanted to keep people moving and tend to focus on the beats first when we write”.

Bottom Line: Carré is a five song EP that is all about conception, abstraction and distortion of reality. Lessening from a surrealistic outlook on our world, inspired by geometrical forms and sounds, Carré gives birth to an angular, edgy musical experience that is both electronic and organic. The abstract sounds of “This Is Not a Band” develops into a techno beat driven track that intermixes multilayers and sounds with elements of rock and techno living harmoniously together. With a steady techno beat “Urgency” pulls in psychedelic sounds framed by the diverse rhythmic structure of the two live drummers. “Freeform” is driven by haunting vocal sounds and a arpeggiated ostinato figure. Here the trio builds layers in a manner that is ready for the dance floor but will also reward the deep listener. The band says, “There’s something about not getting attached to the form, when you step back and disengage yourself from the form, you become in touch with something more pure and spiritual, while remaining in the square.” “Rollercoaster” is an excursion in layers, rhythms, and samples. The vocals are subtle and add to the atmosphere. Carré is an exploration of sounds that will reward dancing, listening and playlisting. That’s the short of it!